About this Course

44,926 recent views

Business and environmental sustainability are not natural bedfellows. Business is about making money. Sustainability is about protecting the planet. Business is measured in months and quarters. Sustainability often requires significant short term costs to secure a sometimes uncertain long-term benefit. To some activists, all executives are exploitative, selfish one percenters. To some executives, all activists are irresponsible, unyielding extremists. 
And yet engaging with the issue isn’t optional – all businesses must have a strategy to deal with sustainability and, like any strategy, this involves making choices. 

This Strategy and Sustainability course based on Rosenberg's recently published book by Palgrave (http://www.palgrave.com/la/book/9781137501738) that encourages learners to filter out the noise and make those choices in a hard-nosed and clear-eyed way. Prof. Rosenberg’s nuanced and fact-based point of view recognizes the complexity of the issues at hand and the strategic choices businesses must make. He blends the work of some of the leading academic thinkers in the field with practical examples from a variety of business sectors and geographies and offers a framework with which senior management might engage with the topic, not (just) to save the planet but to fulfill their short, medium and long-term responsibilities to shareholders and other stakeholders.

This course promises to be both engaging and thought-provoking, aimed at anyone who wishes to gain a deeper understanding of a subject that is no longer perceived as a choice but a necessity for future managers and business leaders alike.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.88/5 (109 Ratings)

Mike Rosenberg

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating97%(2,915 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

5 hours to complete

Course Overview & Week 1: Business & the Environment

Welcome! Before starting today's video lectures, please have a look at the course syllabus below. In this first session, we'll explore six fundamental differences between how, in my view, CEOs and board members think about the impact of business on the environment and how environmental activists, lobbyists, journalists, and legislators think about the same ideas. The session also deals with the evolution of environmental concern over the last 60 years and how business has responded. Objectives: To understand the different mindset that business has with respect to other parts of civil society and develop an appreciation for the relatively rapid evolution that has occurred in the relationship between business and the environment in the last 60 years.

5 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 54 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

7 videos

Welcome to the Course3m1. Course Introduction7m2. Governance & Sustainability8m3. Six Differences9m4. The Last 60 Years11m5. How Business Has Responded10m6. Session Summary: It's Not About Right and Wrong!4m

5 readings

About This Course2mCourse Syllabus5mRequired Reading Week 1: "A Strategic Approach to Sustainability"30mOptional Reading: Strategy & Sustainability2hQuiz 1 Solutions10m

1 practice exercise

Week 130m

Week2

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Week 2 - Strategic Issues

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 43 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

Week3

Week 3

2 hours to complete

Week 3 - Strategic Options

This session first introduces the idea of environmental sensibility which will be different for companies in different business sectors and in different parts of the world. It then develops six strategic approaches that businesses might follow according to the degree to which they choose to comply with or go beyond legislation. Learning Objectives: To understand the idea of environmental sensibility and to explore different levels of response. In addition, learners will be able to determine the right approach for specific firms in a specific sector and place.

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 47 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

Week4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Week 4 - Environmental Interest Groups

Part of the issue in choosing a strategy to deal with environmental issues is to fully understand the broad spectrum of environmental interest groups. This session explores how the movement took off, distinguishing between four types of groups and examining how business might consider interacting with them (and vice versa). Learning Objectives: To explore the nature of four different types of environmental interest groups such that their motivations and behaviors can be better understood.

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 51 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

Week5

Week 5

2 hours to complete

Week 5 - Differences Across Industries and Around the World

This session explores differences across business sectors including automotive, oil & gas, fast-moving consumer goods, mining, and IT/consumer electronics. We will also contrast the situation in the United States with Europe, China, India, and Africa. Learning Objectives: To underline the importance of adapting a specific firm’s strategy to its sector, its geographic scope and even the nature of its ownership and governance structure prior to developing a specific strategic response.

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 54 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

Week6

Week 6

3 hours to complete

Week 6 - How to develop a sustainability strategy

This session presents an integrated framework for working through the issues introduced in the other sessions in order to develop a strategy. This involves understanding the firm’s past and present, looking ahead with a 10–20-year time horizon; quantifying, to the degree possible, the cost and benefits of different options; and making sure that the entire organization – from the board of directors down to line management – understands the direction chosen. Learning Objectives: To go through the critical steps required to build a robust strategy for dealing with environmental sustainability in a specific company or institution.

3 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 39 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

Reviews

4.7

147 reviews

5 stars
74.70%
4 stars
20.14%
3 stars
3.51%
2 stars
0.23%
1 star
1.40%

TOP REVIEWS FROM STRATEGY AND SUSTAINABILITY

by TMDec 4, 2022

Very insightful and well-done course. It provides tools and notions that help you connect strategy and sustainability and provide you with a fresh view on many important topics. Recommended.

by MVAug 12, 2020

Mike Rosenberg- A perfect MBA professor who knows everything there is to know about business as well as environment. Loved the course.

by KHMay 13, 2020

I really enjoyed this course, the content and the delivery were excellent and it will give me a lot of context in my role going forwards.

by MMApr 5, 2022

It was a pleasure learning from Mike Rosenberg. He brings complelling and well-balanced insights, which are relatable and can be immediately put into practice.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Strategy and Sustainability

Strategy and Sustainability

About this Course